Tie plate



Nov. 30 1926.

G. M. HOGAN TIE PLATE Filed May 10, 1926 Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. GEORGE M. HOGAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 SELLERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TIE PLATE.

Application filed May 10.

This invention relates to an improved tieplate as used by railroads for supporting the rails upon the wood ties. The plates provide a broad supporting surface for the rail, and prevent the rail from working down into the ties, and also assist the spikes in transferring the lateral thrusts of the rails to the ties, and thence to the road-bed.

It is customary to provide ribs or projections on the face of the tie-plate, which are pressed into the wood tie and hold the plate against lateral movement. These ribs are usually of a wedge-shaped cross section, and the fairly sharp corners formed where the base of the rib emerges from the flat bottom surface of the plate, act to grip the wood which has been compressed between adjacent ribs, whereby the fibre is severed and the Wood is broken away from the tie. According to the present invention, in lieu of providing such outstanding ribs, the plate is formed with a plurality of shallow cupped depressions so arranged that the surface of the plate remaining between adjacent depressions is in the form of a network of crossed ridges, each ridge being of very small elevation in comparison to its width and having widely flaring curved sides which merge into the bottoms of the cupped depressions. These shallow curved depressions will not grip the fibres of the wood so as to break them loose, and the low, wide-spreading ridges will be forced into the Wood without cutting the fibres. The suction created in the shallow rounded depressions will assist the embedded ridges in effectively preventing lateral movement of the plate on the tie.

The main object of this invention is to provide a simple, efficient and durable tie plate, having an improved tie-engaging surface, adapted to grip the tie and prevent lateral movement of the plate thereon without unduly injuring the tie.

Another object is to provide an improved tie plate of the character noted above, which may be easily and economically manufactured, and which is lighter, that is, requires less metal than those heretofore in use without materially sacrificing strength or rigidity.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description of one approved form of the tie plate.

1926. Serial No. 108,049.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the tie plate in use between a rail and tie.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the lower, or tie-engaging surface of the plate.

ig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a partial vertical. section taken substantially on the line t at of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

As indicated in the drawings, the tie plate 1 is of the usual rectangular outline, having an upper rail-supporting surface 2, side flanges 3 and if, and being punched at 5 to accommodate the spikes 6 whereby the plate 1 and rail 7 are anchored to the tie 8. An upstanding rib or shoulder 9 bears against one side edge of the rail base, (usually the outer side of the rail), to takeup the spreading thrust imparted to the rail by the trains passing thereover. All of the above is of approved construction, and might be varied without departing from the present invention, which is concerned more particularly with the lower surface of the plate which rests upon and grips the wood tie.

Into the lower tie-engaging face of the plate is rolled aplurality of shallow depressions 10, which are so arranged that the dividing ridges 11 between these depressions form a checker-board pattern of cross lines as indicated in Fig. 2. Each of these depressions 10 is cupped out in such manner that no sharp angles 01 corners are present in any portion of the depression. While the exact curves used may be varied, it is preferable, as indicated in Fig. 4:, to have the depressions curved from side to side as an arc of a large circle. The corners which might otherwise be formed at the junction of the two crossing cylindrical surfaces, are filled in as indicated in Fig. 5, so that the entire depression approaches closely to a segment of a spherical surface, which is slightly distorted so that the ridges 11 which outline the depression will form a rectangle with the edges of the ridges lying in the plane of the lower surface of the tie-plate. It will be noted that the ridges 11 thus formed, have widely diverging curved sides which merge into the bottom surface of the depressions 10. Thus the lower surface of the tie plate, instead of being provided with sharply proor wavy surface,

jecting ribs, is provided with a mildly fluted the projecting portions of which will be embedded in the wooden tie by the load sustained thereon without cutting orunduly injuring the fibre of the wood. Since thereare no corners in the depressions to grip the embedded wood, but this wood is merely compressed to varying degrees by the gradually rounded roofs of the depressions, there will be substantially no tendency to break loose embedded portions of the tie. At the same time, the interlocking surfaces, aided by the suction created in the cupped depressions 10, will be ample to prevent'lateral movement betweenthe tie and tie-plate.

It is desirable, in the interest of economy,

to reduce the weight or amount of metal used in each tie plate as much as can be done-without sacrificing the strength or rigidity of the plate. To do this, it has been customary heretofore to hollow out portions of either the upper or lower surfacesof the plate, to remove metal where it was believed that the same could best be spared. At the same time, the weight of the plate has been added to by providing projecting ribs on the bottom of the plate to engage in the tie. It will be noted that in this improved tie plate the added weight of the ribs has been entirely eliminated, and that material has been removed from the lower surface of the plate in such a manner as to provide a suitable gripping surface.

The arched construction provided by the adjacent depressions does not materially weaken the plate, although considerable material has been removed, and at the same time the surface is so designed as to firmly grip the surface of. the wooden tie without injuring the tie.

I claim: v r

1. A tie-plate having its tie-engaging surface formed with a plurality of shallow cupped depressions, the adjacent depressions abutting one another, whereby the lower surface of the plate between the depressions is in the form of low projecting ridges, the sides of which curve into the bottoms of the depressions.

2. A tie-plate having its tie-engaging surface formed with a plurality of shallow cupped depressions, each depression substantially conforming to a segment ofa sphere, the adjacentdepressions abutting one am other, whereby the lower surface of the plate between the depressions is in the form of low projecting ridges, the sides of which curve into the bottoms of the depressions.

3. A tie-plate having its lower surface so recessed as to leave a plurality of crossed upstanding ridges for engaging the tie, each ridge having a projecting edge from which the sides diverge rapidly and curve into the bottoms of the recesses.

' GEORGE M. HOGAN. 

